Absorbent articles such as sanitary napkins, diapers and incontinence pads generally contain non-water-disintegratable materials. Used absorbent articles are therefore discarded in stowage boxes provided in toilets, and collected and disposed. However, when used absorbent articles are inadvertently flushed in flush toilets, they can potentially clog the pipes of the flush toilets. Research has therefore been conducted on water-disintegratable materials that can be flushed into flush toilets directly after use, and absorbent articles comprising the water-disintegratable materials.
For example, PTL 1 describes a leakproof sheet for a hygienic pad, wherein a water-repellent layer is stacked on one side of a water-soluble resin sheet, and a water-disintegratable base material is stacked on the other side of the water-soluble resin sheet.
The leakproof sheet described in PTL 1 has a three-layer structure of the water-disintegratable base material, the water-soluble resin sheet and the water-repellent layer, being designed so that the two layers of the water-repellent layer and the water-soluble resin sheet hold absorbed fluids inside a hygienic pad and prevent leakage.